Wendell Potter's Blog, page 31

Maine’s Health Care Fantasy

‘Common sense’ law created more problems than solutions Down East. What happened in Maine is a sobering reality check on the oft-repeated myth that getting rid of ObamaCare and other consumer protections is the answer to our health care problems. If the government will just get out of the way, the myth-makers would have us [...]

Health Care Reform: New Ad, Old Tricks

After watching Vermonters for Health Care Freedom’s new commercial, I was reminded of what my former colleagues in the health insurance industry and I used to do to influence public opinion, often using deceptive tactics. I was also reminded of why I left my job as an industry executive and began speaking out about how [...]

The Illusory Promise of Free-Market Health Care Miracles

Republican rhetoric aside, the answers lie elsewhere. While listening to the promises to repeal ObamaCare during the Republican National Convention, I was reminded of what those of us in the health insurance industry said when our friends in Congress were able to block passage of President Clinton’s health care reform legislation 18 years ago. Like [...]

Physicians’ Group Will Barnstorm Conventions With Truth-Telling on Obamacare

Doctors for America will provide a reality check, and free care too. As the Republican convention gets underway today in Tampa, we can expect to hear the politicians and delegates gathered there—including GOP nominee Mitt Romney—rail against “ObamaCare”, insisting that what we need instead of a “government takeover of health care” is “patient-centered” care, although [...]

GOP Medicare Plan Means Older Americans Will Pay More

When you look closely at GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan’s proposals to restructure Medicare, it’s clear he agrees with many health insurance company CEOs that Americans — especially older Americans — don’t have enough “skin in the game” when it comes to medical costs. If his proposal to largely privatize Medicare becomes a reality, [...]

Rep. Ryan’s Budget Plan is a “Path to the Poorhouse”

Romney’s vice president choice has a deficit reduction plan that could bankrupt many senior citizens. If Americans who are embracing Rep. Paul Ryan’s “Path to Prosperity” — and that now includes Mitt Romney — spent a few minutes reviewing a few recent research reports, they just might conclude that the Wisconsin Republican’s plan to reduce [...]

Real-world Health Insurance Math Doesn’t Add Up

Graduate student was covered, but had to call out Aetna to get cancer treatment paid for. Aetna’s had a lot to say lately about how  business is good. The company disclosed last week that it made $458 million in profits this spring, and said it expected to make more money this year than executives previously [...]

The Cost of Care for Colorado’s Victims

Hospitals step up – but only in America could the cost of care bankrupt the wounded. One of the reasons Americans seem so willing to tolerate the fact that 50 million of us are uninsured and almost 30 million more of us are underinsured is that most of us who have coverage assume we are [...]

A Nice Little Gift from ObamaCare Directly to You

Journalists haven’t sufficiently explained health reform’s benefits — like those rebate checks. I’ve often said the U.S. health care system is so complex that trying to understand it makes your hair hurt. Case in point: the Affordable Care Act runs more than 2,000 pages. I’ll grant you that it’s a massive piece of legislation — [...]

In-Depth, Insightful Reporting Needed to Cover Health Reform Implementation

Soon after the Affordable Care Act passed, I met with a reporter who had written some of the most important and insightful articles on the U.S. health care system that I had read anywhere. Without a doubt, her reporting helped inform the debate on reform and led to some of the consumer protections being included [...]